YEREVAN. – The government does not accept President Armen Sarkissian's objections to the Prime Minister's proposal to appoint Artak Davtyan to the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, and this motion will be sent back—with justifications—to the President. The press service of the government informed Armenian News-NEWS.am about this.

According to the Constitution, if the competent body does not accept the objection, the President signs the relevant act, or petitions to the Constitutional Court. If the President does not carry out any of the aforementioned, the said act enters into force by virtue of law.

Earlier, the President returned—with his respective objections—to the Prime Minister the latter’s proposal to appoint Artak Davtyan as the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

PM Nikol Pashinyan had petitioned to the President with such a proposal on Wednesday, when he had announced that the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan, was considered to have been relieved of this post by virtue of law.

By the order of the Minister of Defense, Artak Davtyan on Tuesday was appointed Senior-Officer-at-Large. On November 16, 2020, and by the decision of the Prime Minister, he was relieved of the post of Chairman of the Military Industry Committee to which he was appointed on July 17. On June 8, Davtyan was relieved of the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces to which he was appointed on May 24, 2018. The reason for his dismissal from the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces was the celebration of his son's wedding during the days of quarantine in Armenia due to the coronavirus pandemic.